THE storm that finally hit Melbourne yesterday had been coming for a long time - long enough for the club to get out of its way if it so chose.

But instead, it opted to stand square in its path, and now the damage could be enormous.

What was once the Storm's greatest strength - their ability to win the battle on the ground with wrestling tactics that not only pushed the envelope but sometimes ripped it open - is now their biggest weakness. It could cost them their captain, Cam Smith, for the rest of their finals campaign.

Melbourne could probably cope with the loss of Jeremy Smith, who has also been charged over the controversial tackle on Brisbane's Sam Thaiday. But the other Smith is a different story. He is one of the most dynamic members of the side, and a great inspiration.

There is no point in trying to predict with any certainty what will happen at the judiciary hearing - particularly with a charge that, in Cam Smith's case, involves unnecessary contact to the head or neck. This is still very much unpredictable ground. And the Storm, with their legal representation, may go down there and mount a compelling argument in Smith's defence.

Geoff Bellew, who will represent him, is renowned for getting results. But if, after twisting Thaiday's head every which way but loose in an incident that looks particularly bad on video, Smith were to get off, what would the rules be after that? It would seem that there are no rules.

It is finals time, and missing a grand final qualifier - and possibly a grand final as well - is a huge price to pay for any indiscretion. But on face value, if the judiciary panel was to exonerate Smith, it would be left with a hell of a lot of explaining to do. The Storm have always argued that they don't do any more wrestling, or grapple-tackling, than any other team, but they would say that. It's a highly controversial issue. Whether they take more liberties than other teams is a matter of opinion, but I'm among those who think that they do.

Smith has been a leader in this area, and is sitting on 93 penalty points for a previous incident. That should have been more than enough of a warning for him, but even after wrapping his arm around Thaiday's head, he didn't think better of it and let go.

Melbourne should have seen the signs long ago, and acted. But instead, they claimed they were being unfairly singled out. As a result, they now face the prospect of having a massive hole blown in the side of their premiership campaign.

Other teams have outsmarted them recently. The Warriors, in the first week of the finals, complained constantly to the referee about grapple tackles during their game against the Storm, and got a result in the form of penalties. Brisbane did the same, and also got penalties.

The Storm have seemed gun-shy at times, with the world seemingly closing in on them. But under pressure, they have tended to revert to type - and the joint tackle by the Smiths was a classic case of that happening.

Taking control of a player's head in a tackle is dangerous, particularly when there might be another defender, or defenders, driving him in another direction. It's an awful look for the game, and it should have been wiped out well before now. The NRL has to take responsibility for that.

The match review committee seemed to have become reticent to come up with grapple-tackle charges, because when players contested such a charge, they tended to get off. But there was never any doubt the Smiths would be charged.

It remains to be seen whether Jeremy Smith, facing one or two games out for a so-called chicken wing, contests his charge.

Cam Smith, facing two games out, has no choice. The Cam Smith case will be a test case, and a chance for the game to draw a line in the sand.

If he gets suspended, it will be very hard for both him and the Storm to take. But it will be good for rugby league.